Learning about business on the river

Published
4:27 pm CDT, Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Morte than 1,000 Riverbend neighbors spent part of their weekend learning about the commercial river.

They participated in last weekend’s annual Chamber of Commerce Towboat Festival in Grafton, taking tours of a 200-foot vessel and better understanding how river barges and tows operate on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. It was a lesson in life on the river.

They learned a lot, celebrating our heritage of the river at work. It was a special day for anyone interested in the unique nature of Riverbend life.

It has been a tough summer for towboats and the products they convey, which include everything from grain to oil. Rains and flooding came in force in June. High river levels forced barges out of the river lanes; intense flooding also pushed barges to tie up. The Illinois River was hardest hit. Then, a boat accident off St. Louis killed a crewman.

But, in Grafton last weekend, the festival went on. The special happening had been delayed by about a month because of the rains and high water.

The focus of attention was Relief Captain Jeff “Ziggy” Zerwig’s “Twyla Luhr,” moored near the popular Loading Dock off River Road, which was spiffed up with a fresh coat of paint for tourists. Long lines waited for tours. Tours of about 20 people each took about 30 minutes.

So, what did our river neighbors learn:

—- They learned that Zerwig and his mates haul rock from Ste. Genevieve. Mo., to Louisiana, spending 28 consecutive days down river.

—- They learned that the downriver trip requires about 4,000 gallons of fuel per day. But, sailing upriver against the current requires about 8,000 gallons.

—— They learned that southbound voyages take about three and a half days, and about seven days coming back.

—— They learned that in good river conditions a tow (barges tied together) could be 200 feet wide and 1,200 feet long.

Since a single acre is approximately the size of a football field without the end zones, that sure is a lot of barge. Imagine floating six football fields down the river?

Our river system has always been an important piece of life. French settlers in the the 17th and 18th centuries conveyed goods by river to New Orleans. By the 1840s, steamboats often doubled as freight haulers. After that, the push-tow system was in use and muscular towboats began to rule the river.

It’s a sophisticated system, tourists learned last weekend. One barge alone can carry the freight of 60 tractor trailer trucks.

The Towboat Festival reminded us of all that. A salute to the Chamber for hosting a fun and important event.